Khajuraho Temples - Temples of Love
Khajuraho, a small town located in the Chhatarpur district of Madhya Pradesh is known all over the world for Khajuraho group of temples. Khajuraho Temples, also called as the temples of love were built by Chandela dynasty in between 950 A.D - 1050 A.D. Legend goes that King Chandraburman in a dream got a tenderly order from his departed mother, who desired to build up temples. So, Chandraburman started the construction of the temples and later Chandela Kings built 85 temples of which only 20 could survive the adverse climatic conditions. In the 11th century the Muslim invansion caused the defeat of the warrior kings of Chandella dynasty and Khajuraho lost its glory. For more than 600 years Khajuraho remained trapped and unnoticed till 1819 when a British survey team discovered the site. Khajuraho was the unearthed in the year 1923 by excavation.
Khajuraho temples are built in Indo-Aryan style and they have idols of Lord Vishnu (the creator), Lord Shiva (the destroyer) and other gods and courtiers. The immortal sculptures of Khajuraho temples carved by skilful artists still reminds us the motto of Indian heritage "Love the Universe". The exquisite sculptures on the walls of the Khajuraho temples depict the inner human feelings.
Architecture of the Temple
Khajuraho temples are specimen of the Nagara Style of temple architecture. The unfulfilled human desires have been manifested in the acute representation in relief. Around the temples there are several sculptures which are exceedingly fine and artistic stone work. Love, lust, lone-sickness are the factors depicted through the sculptures. The sculptures have also shown many aspects of Indian life thousand year ago such as gods and goddesses, warriors and musicians, animals etc. The sculpture of the cloths, ornaments, hair-style and made up etc make the temple architecture extraordinary. But two elements that appear again and again in great detail are women and sex. Stone figures of apsaras (celestial maidens) are present on every temple.

Khajuraho Group of Temples
Khajuraho group of temples belong to two religions - Hindus and Jains. The temples are divided into three groups such as the Western Group, the Eastern Group and the Southern Group.

The Western Group of Temples
The Western Group of temples is most conveniently located group in Khajuraho. The Western group comprises 12 temples surrounded by Mahua Garden from east to west. The group has the most interesting temples and is open from sunrise to sunset. Some of the famous western gropu temples are Lakshmana Temple, Lakshmi & Varah Temples, Matangesvara Temple etc. The Archaeological Museum is also located close to the western group which has a fine collection of statues and sculptures rescued from and around Khajuraho.

The Eastern Group of Temples
The Eastern Group of Temples is located 1 km east from Western circuit or bus stand near Khajuraho village. The Eastern group can be subdivided into two groups. The first group contains an interesting group of Jain Temples while the other group contains Hindu temples. The Hindu temples are Brathma temple, Vamana temple and Javari temple. The Jain Temples include the Parsvanath temple, Adinatha temple and Ghantai temple.

The Southern Group of Temples
The Sothern Group of temples consist of Duladeo Temple and Chaturbhuj Temple. The Duladeo temple is about one km south of the Jain enclosure. The east facing temple is built in five divisions and is an excellent example of architectural, sculptural and carving height. The Chaturbhuja Temple is 1.5 kms from Duladeo and 4 kms from Western group on way to airport. The 3 m high and 4 armed image of Dakshina-image or Vishnu is wonderful.

Attractions
Khajuraho Dance Festival
Khajuraho Dance Festival is the new attraction of Khajuraho. The seven day festival is organized by Bharatita Kala Kendra and MPTDC (Madhya Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation) every year in the months of February/March. Khajuraho Dance Festival is one of India's premier events of Indian classical dance and music. The festival is a showcase for all forms of classical dance like Bharat Natyam, Odissi, Kathak, Kuchipudi, Manipuri and Kathakali. The main idea behind organizing the Khajuraho Dance Festival is to celebrate the glory of the temple and infuse the relevance of the cultural heritage of Khajuraho in the present world.

Panna National Park
Situated 57 kms away from Khajuraho, the national park is one of the best Tiger reserves in India. Panna National Park houses a number of wildanimals like Leopards, Wild Dogs, Wild Cats, Deer, Antelope, Wolf, Hyaena, Caracal, Sloth Bear etc. In addition to Tiger Reserve, Panna is famous all over the world for diamonds.

The Dhubela Museum
The Dhubela museum is located on the Jhansi-Khajuraho Road. The museum has a huge collection of weapons, paintings, and sculptures of the Bundela kings and a wide variety of sculptures of the Shakti cult.

Accommodation
Khajuraho is dotted with several hotels which offer plenty of accommodation facilities. Some of the most popular hotels are Hotel Taj Chandela (5 Star Deluxe), Hotel Jass Trident (5 Star Hotel), Hotel Holiday Inn (4 Star Hotel), Hotel Clarks Khajuraho (3 Star Hotel), Hotel Usha Bundela (3 Star Hotel), Hotel Grand Temple View (3 Star Hotel) etc.

How to Reach Khajuraho
By Air : Khajuraho has its own airport which is connected by daily flights with Delhi (35 mnts), Agra (40 mnts) and Varanasi (45 mnts).

By Rail : Nearest railheads are Mahoba (63 kms), Harpalpur (94 kms), Satna (117 kms) and Jhansi (172 Kms). Jhansi is the most convenient railway station which is well connected to Delhi and other major cities of India.

By Road : Good network of roads connect Khajuraho with rest of the country. Regular buses are available from Satna, Harpalpur, Jhansi and Mahoba. The distances of some places from Khajuraho are Satna (117 kms), Jhansi (176 kms), Jabalpur (210 kms), Gwalior (280 kms),

Bhopal (350 kms), Agra (391 kms) and Indore (480 kms).
Local transportation : Cycle-rickshaws, tongas and taxis are available for local transport.
Ideal time to Visit : Ideal time to visit Khajuraho is October to April as the weather remains pleasant. February to March is the good time because you can get an opportunity to be a part of the Khajuraho Dance Festival.